Strengths

• Useful for large-scale monitoring of sea ice 
• Microwave observations provide surface snow and ice coverage during cloudy and night-time (including polar night) conditions (Cavalieri et al., 1999)
• Thorough inter-calibration between sensors for consistency throughout the record (Cavalieri et al., 1999; Cavalieri et al., 2012)
• Less sensitive to temperature variations because it uses ratios instead of differences (Comiso et al., 1997)
• Concentrations are generally reliable within the ice pack (away from the ice edge) during cold (non-melt) conditions (Comiso et al., 1997)
• Useful input/validation of climate model simulations (National Center for Atmospheric Research Staff, 2017)

Limitations

• Low spatial resolution (25 km gridded) limits detail on concentration and precision of sea ice edge; is unsuitable for operational/navigational support (Cavalieri et al., 1999)
• Underestimates sea ice concentration during melt season (Kern et al., 2020) and/or when the ice is thin (Ivanova et al., 2015)
• Higher uncertainties in Antarctica due to flooded snow and other ice characteristics (Comiso et al., 1997)
• Algorithm coefficients are fixed for a given sensor, so biases can occur if characteristic surface conditions change (Cavalieri et al., 1999)
• False coastal ice can occur due to mixed land and ocean within a sensor footprint (Cavalieri et al., 1999)
• Near-real-time product with no planned reprocessing for long-term consistency; should not be used to derive long-term trends in sea ice or snow (Cavalieri et al., 1999)